Get Sconed! has MOVED!

Friday, March 13, 2009

So Vegan.

As if I'd write a recipe, or you'd need one. Vegan or not, some vegan or tofu advocate has likely pushed this on you in the past. It's a building block of (sometimes boring) vegan dessert.

Just last week I spotted it as the vegan chocolate pudding sold at Whole Foods (sweetened with rice syrup) and there are roughly 9 bajillion recipes that exist online, in old cookbooks and perfected in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. If you're veg, you've been to a potluck where there's been chocolate tofu pie. I've been to many. It can be boring, but since getting a Vita-Mix I've found myself digging it's simplicity again.

Note the keyword Vita-Mix - that baby turns unexciting tofu pudding into silky, sinful chocolate pudding, and I don't even have to melt the chocolate before blending. I'm such a fan, but it's not like I've hugged it..yet. The basic recipe is so versatile - add flavored liquor, mix up the sweeteners, add peanut butter, fresh fruit, extract, whatever sounds good and fits in the blender. I honestly don't use a recipe, I just throw stuff - okay, ingredients, into my blender and taste for sweetness towards the end.

Here's what I had to play with:

I didn't use the cocoa or all of the sugar, instead I felt like a more peanut butter...passionate pudding.

In other news - I'll be in Phoenix next week for work. Let me know if you have any dining suggestions for the downtown area - I won't have a car. Thanks!

Phoenix pretty much sucks for eating out veg and their downtown doesn't have much for anyone to eat, unfortunately. All of the good vegan food is in Tempe, so if you can get over there you have to go to Green. It's all vegan, they have buffalo wings with ranch, a wicked artichoke dip and "soynamis", their answer to a DQ blizzard with their house made soy ice cream. Don't let anyone take you to the Mandala Tea Room. It's in Scottsdale and it's a terrible stereotype of vegan food, everything is bland and dry, I don't know how they are still in business. If you can get to a Pita Jungle location you can get some good food, too.

Hi,I'm not from Phoenix or anything but you just go to www.strawberryhedgehog.com and email Tracy Perkins. She's in the area, and she's a vegan so she could give you great tips I'm sure. I love your blog and that pudding looks yummy.

I'm with Kris, go to Green. I Just got back from Scottsdale and a friend of mine took me there. Holy yum. It belongs in Portland. I had the chicken parmesian sandwich with pasta salad as a side. we opted not for the appetizers, only to enjoy the wonder that is their version of the blizzard. OMG. I had a chocolate mint one with crushed mint newman o's and their own chocolate syrup and mint syrup. I want to live there, if only for that restaurant. Please get a ride there or take a taxi. It's open fairly late.

I went to Mandala Tea Room. I suggest any sandwiches, but don't stray from them or the teas. The rest of their fare is stuff I found myself thinking, "well, I could have made this at home on a boring Tuesday night." But, the bread rocks, the ambience is groovy and the tea is fab. Needless to say, I'm a Phoenix native (living in NYC for now) and plan to open a veg restaurant with friends in a few years. I'll let ya know if we get around to it! :)